


Teenage Wasteland

by Freerangeegghead



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-05 00:05:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14031804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freerangeegghead/pseuds/Freerangeegghead
Summary: In which Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru and their friends continue their journey after running away from their parents. Occurs after season 1 finale, mentions of TV show and comics canon, slightly A/U.





	1. Chapter 1

**Teenage Wasteland**

**Pairing:**  Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru

 **TV Show:**  Marvel's Runaways (Hulu series)

 **Rating/Warnings:**  T ~ M, no smut, femslash, slightly A/U, mentions of canon (TV show and comics, Issues 1 to 18 at least, mentions of MCU Superheroes)

 **Summary:**  In which Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru and their friends continue their journey after running away from their parents. Occurs after season 1 finale, mentions of TV show and comics canon, slightly A/U.

 **A/N:**  Because no show has been this exciting since at least Buffy and season 2 is still too far away. Comics used thus for reference. Comments not unwelcome.

 **Disclaimer:**  Nothing owned, nothing gained, only prose is mine.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Karolina and Nico just become this thing that Gert, Chase and Molly accept as easily as anything else in this journey: Discovering your parents are murderous super villains, hot, gorgeous, glowing aliens and their nefarious, creepy dads, plots that involve world domination and destroying the world and genetically engineered dinosaurs named "Old Lace".

Gert and Chase have known about Karolina and Nico much longer than the others, of course. Gert because she's perceptive like that, except when it involves herself. There was always something in the way Karolina looked at Nico - a mix of longing and sadness and pain that she had recognized as her own, because she'd felt it every time she sees Chase, or when she sees Chase coming on to other girls, especially Karolina, knowing full well she can never have Chase the way Karolina or any of the others could so easily have him. But Karolina doesn't fall all over Chase like the other girls in their school, she seems so uninterested, so blasé about Chase's interest in her – and that should have tipped Gert early on.

Chase, for his part, takes a longer time to realize that the reason Karolina never kissed him back at the rooftop wasn't just because she didn't like him but because she didn't like guys in general and only had eyes for one girl in particular.

Molly had figured out the first night they spent in the van when they rescued Karolina from her evil parents, when people started pairing off and she saw Nico beside Karolina putting a blanket on her and smiling and giggling like a schoolgirl. Molly had seen how genuinely happy Karolina was, for the first time in her life - even if she had been living the most clichéd telenovela Molly had ever seen: when she'd found out that the father she'd known her whole life wasn't really her father and that her real father had been a Dr. Doom kind of creepy villain who was willing to hurt even his own daughter to get what he wanted. It felt like Molly's life was a walk in the park compared to Karolina's. People might think she was too young to figure these things out but she's only three years younger than most of them and she understands everyone should enjoy whatever happiness they find wherever they find it. Life, afterall, is short. The only thing she demanded of everyone that first night in the van was one rule: "No sex in the van or anywhere else within a ten-mile radius of a minor, i.e. me" which is met by amused, surreptitious exchange of shy glances between Karolina and Nico – it took them forever to get together, it would probably take them another infinity to get to the next level, plus there is still their murderous, villainous parents looking for them, with the whole police force backing them so Molly didn't have to worry about that. Gert and Chase though, annoyed at the rule, don't accept this rule nearly as whole-heartedly and grudgingly agree to keeping everything strictly PG for Molly's sake.

Nico had smirked at that and says, "Keep it in your pants, Stein and let the sexual frustration begin."

Chase smirks back. "Like you're gonna last long without getting..."

Gert hits him on the shoulder before he can finish his sentence, indicating Molly.

"Dudes, I know what sex is," Molly tells them patiently. "Although for my money, I think Karolina and Nico probably have a better chance of keeping it in their pants,Chase, than you two hormonal teenagers."

Chase and Gert blush, both knowing that at the dance they actually had sex the first chance they could be alone together. Karolina and Nico blush as well, but only because they hadn't thought that far along yet. They hadn't even actually had "the talk" yet about what their kisses actually mean and what they are to each. It's not that they don't want to talk about it, but up to that day they rescued Karolina, too many things have been going on, and though Karolina had been thrilled at knowing that not only was Nico the one who initiated her rescue, but that she might also like her back, as evidenced by their kiss by the van, she doesn't want to talk Nico about it just yet, in case Nico freaks out and runs away. She knows how Nico is and she doesn't want to drive Nico away the way Alex had. But Karolina blushes also because she  _has_  thought of Nico in that way, in the most intimate of ways, head thrown back and body on fire, calling out Karolina's name over and over again.

Which brings them to Alex.

Pretty much everyone but Alex already knows what is going on. But nobody seems to want to tell Alex, especially since Alex had been very clear right from the start that he likes Nico.

So nobody tells him.

But at the bus depot, when they were trying to get tickets, Alex notices that right after they see their faces all over news for the alleged kidnapping of Molly and murder of Destiny Gonzalez, Alex notices that Nico's first instinct was to grab Karolina and get away from there.

Then, in the van, freshly painted to hide the giant Church of Gibborum on its side, new stolen plates to replace the old ones, while they sped through the streets of L.A., Nico had sat beside Karolina. Maybe too close beside Karolina.

When they get somewhere in Bronson Canyon, Chase's "lair" for when the inevitable apocalypse comes ("You watch too much sci-fi,man," Alex comments and Chase says, "What, you don't?") Alex notices other things, too. Like Nico seems to always just "be" with Karolina.

In the cave, dank, cold, dark, an inexplicable number of rooms reveal themselves, and Gert and Chase are more than happy to hunt for their own room, to Molly's consternation ("Fine, then I'm staying with Old Lace," Molly mutters, taking the dinosaur with her in search of a large enough room for both of them. "Don't coming running to me to help you guys because you were too busy sucking each other's face. Gross."). Nico had hesitantly said, "Um, I guess I have to look for a room, too."

"Want some company?" Alex asks.

Nico raises an eyebrow and smirks. "Sure." She turns to Karolina and asks, "You wanna come?"

Karolina shrugs,nonchalant. "Uh, sure."

Alex stands there, all alone, not knowing what to say or do and feeling, not for the first time, how totally and completely alone he is.

* * *

It doesn't help that the first night in the cave, Nico's attention just seems to be on everyone else but Alex, actively ignoring him, her attention particularly focused on Karolina. Whatever food they had scrounged together and laid out on the makeshift table hastily dragged to the middle of the room and divided equally amongst themselves, Nico would share with Karolina. He had also noticed how Nico seemed to be sitting too close to Karolina, touching her thigh, or her blond hair or offering her food or drinking from the same bottle, all the while whispering and giggling like they have their own little world, oblivious to the others in the room. Chase and Gert who are also sitting close together are every bit the new couple they are, content to just leave Karolina and Nico alone, as if everything is just normal, as if Alex isn't falling apart, as if his world isn't disintegrating right now.

And Molly, Molly is every bit as accepting, like Karolina and Nico suddenly being extremely good friends is normal. She is content just hanging out with the dinosaur and talking about how they're like superheroes now.

"Maybe we should come up with superhero names huh?" Molly excitedly suggests.

"Superhero names?" Gert asks.

"C'mon, Steve Rogers has Captain America, Natasha Romanov has Black Widow, Steve Banner has Incredible Hulk," Molly says. "I say we get rid of our slave names and get new ones. Gert is now Arsenic, Chase is Talkback, Nico could be Sister Grimm, Karolina could be...I don't know..."

"Lucy in the Sky...? Like the song?" Nico ventures.

"Codenames? Seriously?" Gert asks. "And why do I get to be Arsenic?"

"Kid has a point. We're on the run now, we need code names, guys," Chase says.

"What, for all the saving we're gonna be doing?" Nico asks.

"Sure, saving the world from our parents," Gert says.

"C'mon, look at us," Nico says. "We're barely Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And we're up against a criminal organization cult whatever that's out to do something bad run by our parents. There's no way we're going to win..."

This is met by silence.

Everyone is reminded again of the stakes. Of how much danger they are in. The weight of what they know, the weight of what they have to do, the weight of having to choose between their parents, parents who, for all their faults, they still cared for, and the world, weights heavy on their minds.

The silence stretches on for what seems like forever, before Karolina gently steers them to a safer topic, of how Chase even found this cave in the first place.

* * *

As Chase excitedly explains how he found the cave, Alex just sits there, sensing again how alone he feels, how left out, especially when everyone starts talking about their powers: Karolina excitedly shows them how she can now make just her hand or finger glow and shoot energy blasts from said finger or how Chase, that dumb jock, is showing off his stupid Fistigon to the girls, telling them he's figured out how he can make his Fistigon form shapes now, explaining in surprising non-jock detail how the idea got to him and how long he had been working on it - their whole high school life apparently, and pretty much most of middle school, too.

"...And this from a guy who's flunking everything, including Spanish and Science," Gert had commented dryly, but impressed nonetheless at Chase's work.

Chase shrugs. "School is boring. Fuck that. I prefer practical applications."

"So you're like a street smart Tony Stark," Molly says, admiration in her voice.

Chase doesn't answer, embarassed, ducking his head but secretly smiling. Hardly anyone ever praises him for his brains. Girls are usually into him for his looks or his body or family's wealth, privilege and influence, his coach, team mates and the whole school praise him for his natural athletic ability, but never because of his brains. The only ones clearly unimpressed with him were Nico and Karolina and up until recently, Gert. Nico he kind of understands - he'd thought she'd been into Alex when this whole time there'd been somebody else. And Karolina's lack of interest in him had been a frustration and a puzzle - he'd been so used to girls just fawning over him and melting at his smile or a mere look, but Karolina was different. Karolina had been uninterested and unimpressed, unmoved and unresponsive to his advances. Though he was one of the first she confided in about her abilities she'd pulled away after that - actively avoiding him or ignoring him when he asks her to go out for coffee with him. Since then he'd wondered about Karolina. Seeing her with Nico that night at the dance had made him realize something - something had clicked then, and he had realized that Karolina would never have, not in a million years, be interested in him. After that, he'd noticed how Nico and Karolina were with each other - how Nico was the one who refused to leave Karolina's side the night they confronted Jonah and the rest of Pride, even though everyone knew they could have all died. It was Nico who was freaking out at the thought of what could have happened to Karolina, Nico who insisted on going on a rescue mission for Karolina ( a mission Chase had dubbed a "suicide mission") despite Karolina's insistence that they go without her, Nico who refused to leave Karolina's side after that. Any fool could see something has changed between Nico and Karolina - something powerful, potent, a force of nature and nobody could get in the way of that. Not even Alex. That is why not even Chase has the heart to tell him the truth.

That first night in the cave, they talk all through the night, coming up with plans, shooting down each one, the fear and uncertainty dawning, the realization that they are in grave danger a reality.

"We should head to Canada..." Molly says,matter-of-factly. When everybody stares at her, she says, "What? It's makes sense - everybody who's trying to escape always heads to Canada."

"Except that's probably what the parents would think we'd do," Gert says. "Plus what are the odds that a super secret and evil society would be able to go as far as Canada? Plus, you know, they have Jonah..."

"That guy creeps me out big time, he's like all of my worst nightmares multiplied to a million," Chase says, before he realizes what he's said, turns to Karolina and mutters, "Sorry."

Karolina shrugs. "My dad's a creepy, evil villain. No need to apologize."

"So what now?" Molly asks. "We can't go back and we can't go anywhere...We're stuck."

"I say we split up,"Gert suggests. "That way we're less conspicuous. They're looking for six teenagers and a dinosaur." Gert looks at Chase. "Chase and I can go together...Nico and Karolina can go together..."

Everyone thinks about this for a moment,before Molly makes a face and speaks up.

"Oh, and what, leave the minor with the dinosaur? You're going to leave me so you can get laid? You're being an ass, Gert...and not being a good sister..."

Gert smiles sheepishly and laughs nervously. "Did I say Chase and I would go together? I meant Chase and  _Alex_."

Chase and Alex make a face at the same time and look away.

"'Course Alex could just go with Nico but don't think Nico would be interested, I think she hates your guts," Molly says with a little impish grin.

"Guys, why don't we sleep on this for now?" Nico volunteers, interrupting them. "I mean, we're all tired and frankly, this is still all a lot of process. Maybe tomorrow we'll be able to figure out what to do?"

Karolina nods. "I'm with her."

Nico looks at her and smiles, resting a hand on her thigh.

"Yeah, I'm with Nico on this one, too," Gert says.

"Okay, cool,"Molly says as everyone starts to get up.

"Alright," Nico says, standing up and yawning. "I'm beat. Who's gonna do first watch? I vote Molly. She's the strongest."

When they turn to Molly, she's already fallen asleep on the makeshift bed she's made, Old Lace beside her.

Alex sighs. Sometimes, he thinks he's surrounded by idiots. "I'll do it."

Everyone seems to just accept this and go to their respective rooms.

* * *

Nico and Karolina don't sleep though.

Or rather, Nico couldn't sleep, tossing and turning beside Karolina in their bed of blankets and foam so Karolina gets up and says, "C'mon, I'll show you something."

Karolina shows her a secret passageway in their room - a small tunnel both crawl into, the tunnel emerging into a ledge outside, giving them both a good view of California at night.

Karolina crawls out first, jumps down and holds up her hands to Nico. Nico carefully scrambles down the tunnel and Karolina holds her. Nico hangs by the edge with one hand, the other hand on Karolina's shoulder. Karolina grips Nico by the waist and carefully sets her down on the ground as Nico lets go of the edge of the tunnel. Nico puts her arms on Karolina's neck and holds has never been more glad of the height difference than now. As Karolina sets her down, Nico feels her hands brush against her back, her hips and finally settle on her waist. A shiver runs through Nico. Nico stares at Karolina, beautiful as always in the moonlight, gentle and caring and here beside her. Nico is always amazed at how oblivious Karolina is to how beautiful she is. A surge of emotion overcomes her, she looks up at Karolina's lips for a second then kisses her.

Neither one speaks for what feels like ages, as they kiss each other under the moonlight, the trees, the mountains, the canyon, their only witness. A slight breeze brushes against their skin, makes their hair and clothes whip against the wind, and Karolina holds Nico closer, shielding her from the cold.

After awhile, Nico reluctantly pulls away, puts a hand on Karolina's cheek and whispers, "I've been wanting to do that since forever."

Karolina smiles back. "Me, too."

Karolina and Nico sit on the ground, not saying anything. They've been sitting by the ledge for a good long while now, just staring at the moon, the stars and the city laid out infront of them. Nico is trying to make out the constellations she remembers from childhood, Karolina is unhelpfully coming up with her own names. ("Pineapple?" Nico asks Karolina. "I'm pretty sure there's no constellation named Pineapple." Karolina shrugs and smiles, "The real ones didn't make sense to me anyway, so I came up with my own. Sometimes, late at night, I'd lay down and watch the stars and wondered what it would be like if I came from another planet – I already felt like I did anyway – so you can imagine how weird it feels to find out I may literally be from another planet…")

Nico is leaning against Karolina, Karolina's arm around her. Neither one speak, enjoying the silence and company of each other for awhile.

"So...what are we?" Nico finally speaks up, looking up at Karolina.

Karolina looks at her. "Hmmm?" She absently rubs at Nico's shoulder.

"What is this?"Nico asks, indicating themselves. "What are we? Are we together now? Are we dating...?"

"Didn't Gert say dating is heternormative?" Karolina reminds her with a smile.

Nico nods, feeling disappointment. Damn Gert and her social justice warrior schtick. "...So, we're  _not_  dating..."

Karolina looks at her and smiles again. "Well, do you want us to?" She gently asks the other girl, looking at her so intently with her blue, blue eyes that Nico has to look away.

Nico is silent for a time before she shrugs. "I don't know," she finally says. "This all seems...new to me. And I don't want us moving too fast..."

"Then we'll take it slow," Karolina quickly says, with a smile. "No worries. I can wait..."

"Is...is that what you want?"Nico asks, hesitant.

Karolina moves to kiss her gently on the lips. "It's not just what I want that matters. What you want matters, too."

Nico thinks about this for a moment before a slow smile spreads on her face. "This is already so much better than any of the others I've had so far..."

"Better than Alex?"

Nico is silent, looks away. "Karolina..."

"I'm sorry," Karolina quickly says.

"It's just..."

"I know."

"...Complicated..."

Karolina nods. She feels a lump in her throat, unable to express the sadness she feels. There is so much she wants to tell Nico. So much she wants her to know about what she feels and how Nico makes her feel, but she bites her tongue, afraid Nico will run away. But Nico just holds her even more tightly and kisses her and Karolina holds her closer and kisses her back.

They kiss for a long time before Nico reluctantly pulls away and says, "So when did you know?"

"That I was into you?"

Nico blushes. "Yeah sure, let's make this about me. I mean when did you know that you were gay?"

Karolina laughs.

Nico laughs with her. "Yeah, you're right, stupid question, you're a gorgeous girl who glows rainbow. What's gayer than that? I should've known…"

Karolina grins. "You think I'm gorgeous?"

Nico blushes. "I've always thought you were gorgeous."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

Karolina leans down and kisses her.

"Right," Nico says, breathless, after Karolina pulls away. "So, this thing? When did you find out?" When Karolina just looks at her, Nico swallows. "I'm thinking maybe we should have…conversations and stuff, too, and not just make out all the time….Because right now, all I wanna do is make out with you all the time, and that can't be healthy…I've never wanted to just make out all the time before."

Karolina raises an eyebrow, but she grins. "Yeah, right, okay…so there was this party...? And..."

In the distance, in the darkness, amidst the trees, Alex stands staring at them in shock and disbelief and hurt and anger, hand gripping the cold steel of the gun in his pocket.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Maybe a bit OOC for those who aren't familiar with the characters or the comics. But this situation isn't something that someone, gay or not, hasn't encountered at least once in their lives. Took some liberty with the material, again this is slightly A/U, so.

**Chapter 2**

Alex just stands there, transfixed, as if he is frozen in time unable to move or do anything. He wants to look away, at the girl he cares for kissing another girl, but he cannot. As Nico and Karolina laugh and whisper and talk some more, Alex swallows, feels the beginning of tears form in his eyes.

It's not that he's different from the others. It's mostly that he's the most... _normal_  - a word he hadn't dreamt of using til he finds out that his friends are actually the ones who are extraordinary. Gert can communicate with a dinosaur. Molly has super strength. Nico has a powerful staff that can do things with only the power of her mind. Karolina is a glowing girl who shoots energy beams from her finger tips. Hell, even dumb jock Chase isn't so dumb at all - at least he has the sense to invent something like the "Fistigon" - but apparently still dumb enough to name it "Fistigon". And Alex - Alex is a super genius who's into role playing games and video games and hacking and had to be rescued by his friends that time he got kidnapped and is completely useless without his laptop. He realizes that day they ran away that he couldn't even borrow a laptop without being obviously conspicuous. And to top it all off, Nico won't even talk to him, and had literally risked hers and everyone else's lives to rescue Karolina. He doesn't understand why Nico suddenly has this urge to help the girl - they weren't even that close to begin with and yes, if Alex were to be asked, he had been slightly jealous at the worry and concern Nico had shown for Karolina when Karolina had faced off with Jonah and the parents. And sure, no human could've survived an energy blast that strong, and Karolina could have died and she did risk her life for them, but Alex couldn't understand the near manic hysteria Nico displayed when they had left Karolina. If Alex were being honest maybe the reason why he didn't want to rescue Karolina was this growing realization that he might be a little jealous of the attention Nico is showering Karolina, attention that she should be showering on him. Afterall, they hooked up  _first_. He understands Nico. He knows Nico. They were meant to be together. They belong together. Nico is mine, Alex thinks. She belongs to me.

Except after the ledge, when he passes by their room in the cave almost by accident, Alex can see that Nico no longer belongs to him. She belongs to Karolina. She can see it in how easily Nico lets Karolina touch her, kiss her, Karolina lying on top of Nico doing the things Alex used to do, and more.

When Alex watches Nico and Karolina together in what would pass the living room, watches how Nico takes care of Karolina, the growing jealousy inside Alex can't seem to be contained, is about to explode and as Karolina laughs at something Nico says, Alex, who, unknown to the others, had snuck a few drinks in, had drank a few bottles actually, suddenly stands up, emotions swirling to the surface, refusing to be contained, surprising everyone as he says, "Nico can I talk to you for a sec? In private? Outside?" When Nico just stares at him, Alex lowers his voice and pleads, "Please?"

Nico looks at the others who politely look away, refusing to be involved in whatever drama this is going to be, whilst Karolina just looks up at Nico, worry and concern on her face.

"It's ok," Nico assures Karolina, squeezing her shoulder before she follows Alex outside.

* * *

They stand in silence outside, in the safety and shade of the huge trees, careful to hide themselves in the twilight.

"So," Alex begins by introduction, hands jammed in his pocket, shoe scuffing at the dirt. Nico looks away from the city for a moment and looks at him. Alex takes a deep breath. "You and Karolina huh?"

Nico doesn't say anything for a moment. Studies Alex. Seemingly debating whether to tell him the truth or not. But Nico thinks maybe the time for lying has long passed and it's time to tell him the truth. At least she owes him that. She shrugs, nonchalant. "Yeah," she confirms. "It wasn't something we planned or anything. It just...happened..."

"It just happened," Alex repeats the statement, flatly.

Nico nods. "Yeah."

"It just happened," Alex says again. "So,so one minute you're all over me and the next minute you're all over some other person...some girl?!" He sputters.

"That's not what this is..."

"Well, then tell me...explain to me how you could be into me one minute and then into another person the next," Alex says.

"It's...it's hard to explain... And it's...Karolina...you wouldn't understand..." Nico's voice falters, lamely.

"No, you're wrong, I do understand," Alex says. "You're, you're just using Karolina to get back at me, aren't you?"

"What? No. No.  _No_."

"What, because I  _lied_  to you? Because I kept something from you?" Alex continues, seemingly not hearing what Nico is saying.

"Hey, that's not fair, Alex, and you know it."

"What's fair, Nico? That you led me on? That you made me think you liked me? That you're now punishing me by going with Karolina instead?"

Nico stares at him in disbelief, growing irritated herself. "What the fuck is your problem dude?"

"My problem,  _dude_ , is how  _'convenient'_  this all seems to me," Alex says growing angrier by the second. "You're straight when it's convenient. You're gay when it's convenient. I mean, pick a side why don'tcha?"

Nico just stares at him, not saying anything before she calmly says, "You need to stop and you need to stop now before you say something you're going to regret and ruin what we had..."

"And what exactly?" Alex asks. "I mean what does Gay Tinkerbell have that I don't, Nico?"

Alex inches closer to Nico. Nico steps back.

"Alex, you're creeping me out a bit there," Nico says trying to lighten the situation. "Not really used to this jilted alpha male shit you've got going... And are you  _drunk?_  Because what the fuck seriously…"

Before she can finish her sentence, Alex lunges towards her, enfolds her in a tight grip and roughly kisses her.

"Fuck, Alex, let me go," Nico says, struggling to let go. "This isn't funny."

"C'mon,Nico, this is how you want it, right?" Alex says, kissing Nico on her neck. "You like it rough, right?"

Nico finally breaks free and pushes Alex back roughly, Alex landing with a thud on the ground. "What the fuck, Alex?! What the fuck's wrong with you?!"

Alex seems to have come to his senses then because when he looks up he sees Nico. "Oh, my god, Nico I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry..."

He gets up and moves toward Nico. "Nico, please..."

"Get away from me!"

Suddenly, a ball of light zaps Alex from behind.

"You heard my girlfriend," Karolina says, calmly. "Back  _off_  Alex."

Alex is sprawled on the ground, coughing up dirt and leaves as he gets up. "I'm sorry, man, I don't know what happened."

Karolina looks at Nico, concern and worry etched on her face, the glow from her body subsiding. "You okay?" she asks softly.

Nico nods. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine..."

"What's going on here?"Karolina asks.

Nico shakes her head. "It's nothing. It's nothing. We just had a...misunderstanding..."

"That didn't look like a misunderstanding..."

"Karolina, it's fine, can we talk about it later? We'll talk about it later..."

A voice from behind says, "Enough teen drama, kids. Someone tipped us off to the police. We gotta go  _now_."

They turn and it is Gert, accompanied by Chase.

"It's not safe, you guys, cops are here, we need to go and we need to go  _now_ ," Chase says.

But then, Molly comes up to them, huffing and puffing and says, "Too late, they're here now..." As the distant police sirens get closer and closer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

They all look around the canyon.

"We're surrounded," Molly says.

"No shit, Sherlock," Gert responds.

Molly glares at her. Nico stands between them and says, "Not now, guys, we need to think about what we'll do next."

"Shall we make a run for it?" Karolina asks.

Nico shakes her head. "No, don't think we stand a chance." She looks back at the cave. "I say we make our stand in the cave."

"Brilliant plan, genius, except maybe we'll probably die of asphixiation..." Gert says.

"Yeah, but there's no other way out of the cave right now is there?" Nico points out. "We're on the other side of the cave and this side is all cliff and at least a good hundred, two hundred feet drop. Last time I checked only Karolina can fly so unless you have a better idea I suggest we go back..."

Gert scowls.

Karolina rolls her eyes. "I don't like it either but if Nico thinks it's a good idea then I'm in..."

"Oh my god, we're gonna die aren't we?" Molly mutters as she follows the older teenagers back in the cave.

Karolina overhears her and touches her on the shoulder. "Hey, have a little faith, we'll get through this..."

As soon as they enter the cave they are surrounded by police officers, guns all trained on them.

"Freeze! Don't move! Hands in the air, on the ground, hands behind your head,don't nobody make any sudden moves!"

"So many double negatives, so many orders, don't know which one to follow first," Gert says.

"How about hands in the air first?"Molly says, slowly raising her hands. "Cops aren't really known to be very pro-brown or black people so any y'all people of color you probably need to be doing the same..."

As everyone raises their hands in the air, Gert whispers to everyone else. "Okay, so, like, I get how in the age of social media there's no way we'd get spotted right away but I'm almost pretty sure we had at least a good couple of days before we got discovered so which one of you geniuses blabbed to the cops?"

"My burning question is, are these cops on the take and are we gonna be taken dead or alive?" Molly asks.

"Enough with this," Chase declares as he drops to the ground, grabs his Fistigons and to the warning shouts of the police and the other kids screaming "No, Chase, don't!" he blasts through the cops surrounding them.

After the dust settles about, almost three quarters of the force is on the ground, incapacitated.

Chase whoops out a victory yell, egged on by Gert.

But then there's a slow rumble and the ground shaking beneath them.

"Nice, genius, you've just triggered a cave-in, I knew it,we're gonna die," Molly says.

"Not helping,Molly," Nico says. Another slow rumble gives them pause and a few rocks and dust fall on their heads. Everyone looks up to see cracks on the ceiling. She turns to Karolina. "Karolina, cave's about to cave. Can you use your powers to protect us?"

Karolina shakes her head. "I'm not sure, I'm worried I might hurt you guys...but I can try..."

She is unable to finish her sentence as the cave rumbles again, the ground shakes beneath their feet, rocks, boulders, dust start to fall, and a loud, terrible rumble, as of a horrible crack of thunder explodes and their screams are swallowed as the roof suddenly caves in all around them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When the dust settles, Karolina is in the middle, glowing light flowing from her, holding a massive slab of rock above her, a slab that should've crushed her, her friends and the cops but didn't.

"Wow, your girlfriend's racking up points saving us all the time, Nico,"Chase says.

"Yeah, your girlfriend's kind of awesome," Molly chimes in.

Nico blushes. "Could you guys stop calling her my girlfriend please," she pleads in a small voice, embarrassed.

"What, she's not?"Gert asks. "Afterall you've been through? Nico, for shame!"

"Guys,hate to break this lovely discussion of my relationship with Nic, but could somebody please help me find a way out here? Don't think I'm gonna last much longer," Karolina interrupts, huffing and grunting, concentrating all her energy on the slab of rock above her. "So heavy...can't..."

"I don't freaking know what's worse, death by slab of rock or death by asphyxiation," Molly mutters as she punches rocks beside her.

The rocks grumble and move and fall away. "Guys, think I've found our way out..."

"Hurry!" Karolina shouts.

* * *

As everyone of them and Old Lace make their way out, Gert says, "We've gotta save the cops."

"Oh, you mean the same cops who were ready to shoot us just a moment ago? I appreciate your heart of gold Gert but no, thanks," Alex finally speaks.

"Whoa, Alex speaks,"Molly says sarcastically.

"We've got to at least save them...!" Gert says in desperation.

"There are like a hundred of them inside and Karolina can't just hold that boulder the whole time!" Nico argues.

"Oh, so if it's Karolina we can risk our lives but if it's some cops, we can't?" Gert asks.

"That's different."

"It's different how? Because you love Karolina?"Gert demands.

"That's not..." Nico begins, blushing.

"So Karolina gets to live and they don't? Who gets to decide these things? You? Since when did we become judge and executioner?" Gert continues. "Since when did we become our parents?"

"Uh...guys..."Chase speaks.

"If we let them die, Nico, how are we any different from our parents?!" Gert demands. "If we just let innocent people die."

"Karolina is innocent. They already made their choice when they decided to work for the Pride,"Nico says.

Suddenly another explosion interrupts them.

"Guys!" Chase says, coughing. "Not that I don't enjoy these little arguments of yours but Karolina and I were able to save the cops, okay? Blew a hole in the sky so they don't bleed or starve to death or die from lack of oxygen...so we good? Can we stop the arguing so we can go save the world? Yeah?" Chase says, charm in full force as he puts an arm on Gert's shoulder. "Oh, and Nico? Your girlfriend needs some help over there. That kind of power she's packing's taking a toll on her. We gotta bounce."

"Why does everyone think we're..."

Gert rolls her eyes. "That's where it's headed anyway isn't it? Embrace it and deal. Let's go before the cops catch us!"

As everyone makes a run for the trees and the van, Nico rushes toward a weakened Karolina.

"You okay Kar?" Nico asks gently as she puts one arm around Karolina.

Karolina grunts. "Yeah. All tapped out but all good. Why does everybody keep referring to me as your girlfriend?"

Nico blushes as they walk away from the cave, Karolina weak and exhausted.

"I don't know but Kar, honey, could you speed it up a bit. We get any more slow and the cops will be on us..."

"What you would give for your magic glowstick wand or whatever now wouldn't you?"

"Yeah...what I would give for that piece of junk actually..."

They hear a rumble and a rustle in the distance, trees shaking, frantic birds flying in the air, before Nico could ask what's going on, a flying object comes out of the trees and hits Nico with a loud "thwack!" on her belly, sending Nico careening backwards on the ground.

She gets up, rubbing her head and finds that said magical wand is lying on top of her.

"Whoa!" Nico says, wonder, awe and confusion on her face as she picks up her staff and looks at it. "How'd it get here?"

Karolina rushes to pick her up. "We can figure it out on the way. But now we've gotta run."

* * *

Jonah hates humans. He hates how weak they are. Susceptible. Mortal. He curses the fact that he has to live with a mortal body that needs souls to power it up every few years. He hates the weakness that comes with the body. The powerlessness. The impotence. He hates it even more that he is constantly surrounded by humans - incompetent, inefficient, useless humans.

The one they call Lt. Lopez is cowering infront if him now by the Bronson Canyon kneeling and whimpering and groveling, explaining or failing to explain how a bunch of teenagers escaped a whole legion of police officers.

"I...I...don't know what happened...one second we had them all surrounded and the next second they were pffftt..." Lopez says. "Please don't kill me... I gotta wife. Kids. Alimony. Mortgage..."

Jonah doesn't let him finish. The ball of light sizzles in his fingertips as he zaps the man in the chest. The man falls to the ground. Dead.

"What the hell, man?!" Geoffrey Wilder exclaims. "You can't just go around killing people!"

Jonah fixes him with a cold, cold glare. "Watch me."

He looks at the rest of the terrified police force. "They couldn't have gone far. Find them. Bring them to me.  _Alive_. You touch anyone of them and you all  _die_."

* * *

"Sewers, really? What the hell, man?" Alex whines as he puts his hand on his mouth. 

The sewer is dark, dank and smells of rot and garbage, slime and moss and mud and garbage and rats running all around them as they splash through the muck.

"What, your privileged, rich Brentwood ass can't take a little shit and mud?" Chase retorts.

"Ugh, gross, I think I just stepped on something and it  _moved_ ," Molly complains.

"Oh, fuck, this place is horrible!" Nico says in a muffled voice behind them, holding Karolina's hand as she does so, Karolina's other hand, bright and shiny, leading the way.

Old Lace growls in agreement.

"So how'd you find this place anyway?" Gert asks to distract everyone from the smell.

"Oh, you know, same old, same old, just liked to explore the little rundown parts of Cali outside Brentwood. Brentwood gets boring after a while, so."

"You are so freaking weird, Chase,"Molly says.

"Anyway, not long now," Chase says. "We should probably get a good view of the other side any minute now."

A silence ensues cut by sporadic complaints, groans and grumbles before Molly says, "So...this is probably a good time to talk about superhero costumes, huh? A specially designed one that could deflect all these grossness?"

"No!" Everyone says as they splash through the sewers.

"Okay, so hey Nico?" Molly says.

"Yeah?"

"Who's a better kisser? Alex? Or Karolina?"

A groan escapes both Karolina and Alex as Molly continues, "And Karolina? Who kisses better? Nico? Or Chase?"

Old Lace growls in what sounds like amusement as Gert lets out a stifled guffaw. "Sorry, this should be interesting. It's taking me out of the grossness of this place so Nico? Karolina? If you could answer those questions please? That would be  _swell_..."

"Oho - this better be good," Chase says with glee.

"What are you all excited about?"Gert asks Chase. "For all we know you  _kissed_  Karolina and  _turned_  her gay."

"Gert!" Karolina says.

"Hey!" Chase protests, wounded.

"That's not nice, Gert,"Karolina says.

"I didn't turn you gay, did I? Karolina?" Chase says, in doubt.

"No, you did not,"Karolina says with a smile. "'Cause you're  _born_  gay."

"Oh, so  _Alex_  turned Nico gay," Chase jokes.

"Chase!" Gert, Karolina and Nico all say at the same time.

Molly stifles a giggle.

Alex sighs. They're idiots. The lot of them.

"So...Nico, you haven't answered the question..."Molly asks.

"What is this? Twenty questions."

"Oh, c'mon, Nico, now I'm just curious," Chase says.

"I can't believe you guys,"Nico says in disbelief. "Alright, fine, Karolina, okay? Karolina is the best kisser."

This is followed by silence.

Then Chase grins and whistles. "Well, way to go, Rainbow Bright. I'm becoming your biggest fan."

Karolina blushes. "Shut up."

After trudging through the sewers, they find themselves on an abandoned beach somewhere in Malibu.

"This is more like it,"Chase says with a grin as he squints against the setting sun.

"Gonna be night soon, we gotta go look for a place to sleep," Nico says as she looks at the steadily darkening sky.

Chase and the others nod.

"Any idea where we can crash for the night?"Nico asks Chase.

"Yeah. Abandoned beachouse. Owner just up and left - don't know where. House been up for sale since forever what with the property market being what it is."

Gert just stares at Chase. "Who  _are_  you right now?"

Chase shrugs. "What? And you're shocked by this? My dad's a brilliant, abusive genius."

"Fair point," Gert says. "Now where's this abandoned beachhouse you're talking about?"

* * *

Karolina stands outside the beach house, looking up at the kitchen window to where Gert, Chase, Molly and Alex are, trying to scrounge up food for the night. The beach house Chase found is isolated and hidden from the other houses - with no other houses within a full mile radius. Perfect for at least a night to rest and reflect and recoup and plan.

Karolina sighs. They've been on the run only a few days but it feels like forever. And she's cold and hungry and all she wants to do is go home to her mom and dad. Go home to what it was before. She puts her arms around herself and shivers. She just wants it to be like it was from before. Before any of this happened. Before Jonah and her powers and finding out about her parents and the threat of a world ending.

"Hey."

A familiar voice from behind, coupled with hands snaking around her waist and the warmth of a familiar body against her back disturbs Karolina from her reverie.

"What you doing out here? All alone and with nobody to talk to?"

Karolina turns and holds Nico. "Hmmm," Karolina says, sniffing. "You smell nice now."

"Yeah, you, too," Nico says. "Had to take a shower after all that sewer grossness." Nico pulls back then and examines Karolina. "What's on your mind?"

Karolina shakes her head. "Nothing."

Nico tilts her head. "I was watching you watch them for a while and that didn't seem like nothing..."

"You were watching me?"Karolina asks. "Creeper."

Nico laughs. "So are you." She plants a kiss on Karolina's lips, slips her hand in Karolina's hand and says, "C'mon, let's go for a walk. Maybe clear our heads a bit from all this crazy shit."

Karolina smiles and nods.

They walk along the beach, holding hands, barefood and enjoying each other's company.

"So..."Karolina begins.

"Yeah?"

"...You really think I'm a good kisser?"Karolina asks shyly.

Nico looks at her for a moment then laughs out loud. "Yes. You are." She leans up and kisses Nico. She draws back and says, "Yes, a very good kisser."

Karolina nods, a self-satisfied grin on her face.

"Just...don't rub it in Alex's face," Nico says.

Karolina grins some more, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"I mean it, Kar."

"Not even to gloat for a little bit?"

Nico glares at her.

"I'm kidding, Nic, I'm kidding."

"I'm sorry, I just...I just want to make it easier on him...I don't want to hurt him anymore than I have."

Karolina grows quiet. She stops, takes her hand away from Nico and studies her. They look at each other, with only the sound of the birds, the surf and the ocean breeze swirling around them, the setting sun turning the sea and the sky a blood red.

"You still care for Alex, don't you?"

Nico turns away, unable to look at Karolina, looks at the sunset instead. "You wouldn't understand, Kar...he's just...Alex...I've known him since we were kids..."

Karolina nods, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. She understands, of course. It isn't a secret that Alex has always liked Nico. Everybody knew that. Up until now Karolina didn't even think she had a chance with Nico. When she saw Nico kissing Alex - it felt like being stabbed in the heart. She had never, not in a million years, ever dreamed Nico would like her back. But now that she knows Nico does, she also can't shake the feeling that Alex is this shadow hovering above their relationship.

Nico probably notices the expression on her face. "It's not like that, Kar..."

"Yeah? What is it then?" Karolina asks. "Are you getting back at Alex through me?"

Nico closes her eyes. "You heard."

"That's not all I heard,Nico." Karolina wipes the tears from her eyes that she's surprised is threatening to spill on her cheeks.

"Kar..."

"I'm not your little experiment that you can do what you will and then leave behind on your road back to Straightsville,Nico..."

"Karolina..."

"I mean this isn't a joke for me, Nico," Karolina continues. "This is my  _life_. And with all that's been going on, if we live through this, I don't wanna live it just playing games..."

"I'm not playing games with you, Kar..."

"Then what, exactly, are you playing at, Nico?" Karolina asks. "Because I'm done playing games. My parents lied to me for years. The least you could do is be honest with me..." She looks at Nico steadily, blue eyes sad and piercing. "You owe me that at least."

Nico stands there, not saying anything, unsure about what to say. What  _could_  she say to make Karolina feel better? Because she is confused and unsure of her own feelings herself.

She starts to say something but then Chase jogs up to them, huffing and panting.

"Hey, you lovebirds," he says in between breaths. "Sorry to interrupt your date or whatever but..."

"Hey,Chase, great timing, what's up?"

"Sorry,"Chase says apologetically. "But we need to talk."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The man stares at the grainy, pixelated video surveillance of the six teenagers and what appears to be an oversized reptile inside the house.

The woman, his secretary, clears her throat. "Shall I alert the authorities sir?"

The man shakes his head. "No, no, of course not."

"But..."

"Let me take care of this," the man says, reaching for his phone.

* * *

"Thank you for letting me know," Jonah says, a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he listens to the man on the other end of the line. As he talks on his mobile phone, Leslie Dean comes in. He smiles at her then nods. "It's good to know which ones you can trust and which ones you cannot."

* * *

"Look, we can't stay here forever,"Chase says.

"As much as it pains me to agree, Chase is right,"Gert says.

"I miss Brentwood,decent food, decent clothes, shelter over my head...no felonies over my head,"Molly says. Everyone turns to look at her. "Just kidding."

"I say we run,"Nico says.

"I say we stay and fight,"Alex says.

"Alex, you've seen what our parents are capable of,"Gert points out. "We almost  _died_. Karolina almost  _died_."

Karolina puts a hand on her head.

"You okay?" Nico asks softly, putting a hand on Karolina's arm.

Karolina pulls her arm away. "I'm fine."

"...And go where exactly?" Alex asks now. "We can't go to the police. We can't go to  _anyone_. If we run, we'll just keep running. How long do you think til they'll find us? We've got no money, no wheels, no food, no nothing."

Chase nods.

"Look, Karolina's as powerful as her dad, Gert has her dinosaur, Chase has his Fistigon, Nico's been reunited with her staff...I say we strike and we strike now..."

Chase and the others think about this for a moment.

"And I know last time we got our asses handed to us, but this time, we've got something they don't have..."Alex continues.

"What?" Chase asks.

Alex smiles grimly. "The element of surprise."

"Oh my god, we are so gonna die,"Molly says.

* * *

The kids discuss well into the night what their plans are. As dawn breaks, each one decides to get some rest, yawning and stretching tired limbs as they make their way to the empty rooms.

Alex comes up to Nico, says, "Nico, can we talk? I'm really sorry..."

Nico holds a hand up. "Not now, Nico."

"Please, just..."

"Alex, I'm sorry, I can't,"Nico says, eyeing Karolina across the room as she talks to Gert and Molly about their plans.

"You don't understand...this is important. I have to tell you something..."

"Alex," Nico says firmly. "Not now, please...just...could you back off a sec? Give me a sec?"

"Any problem here?"Chase comes up them to ask.

Alex just stares at Nico, wounded and hurt. "No, no problem at all."

"Great!" Chase says with a grin. "Maybe we should get some shut eye before this all goes to hell. We need our strength."

Alex nods, retreats from both of them. As Alex watches him go into one of the rooms, he says, "So...is it just me or did Alex just suddenly give off some creeper vibe there?"

Nico shrugs as she goes after Karolina.

As Karolina opens the door to one bedroom, Nico touches her shoulder.

"Karolina..." She says softly, pleadingly.

Karolina turns, waiting for her to talk as she pushes the door open and gets inside, Nico following.

"I realize nothing between us is set and I know you're still mad at me..."

Karolina folds her arms and just stares at her, speechless.

"But we're going into a war any second now and I don't know if we're coming out of it alive, so in the meantime..." Nico takes a deep breath. "Truce?"

When Karolina doesn't say anything, Nico says quietly, "I'm sorry. I fucked up. I'm an ass and I hurt you. You're not an experiment to me and I really like you. Like,  _like_  like you. I don't know if you'll ever forgive me...but if you could give me a chance I'd like to try and make it up to you..."

Karolina just looks at her and nods. "Okay," she says quietly.

"Okay."

"Okay."

Nico is smiling and nodding as she shuts the door behind them and rushes up to Karolina, cupping her face and kissing her. She is relieved when Karolina kisses her back. She puts her arms around Karolina and draws her closer, Karolina's arms snake around her waist as she holds her, and gently leads her to the bed.

As the sun is rising in the horizon, Karolina and Nico fall on the bed, kissing and holding each other...

* * *

"Team in position sir, over," the man says in his comm device as he looks at the abandoned beach house through his binoculars, rifle at the ready by his side.

"Copy that."

"What are your orders, General Ross?"

There is a silence and a crackle at the other end of the line before a gruff, low voice booms, "Move in position. Shoot at any hostile you find and bring them to me. I'm done cleaning up Fury's mess for him."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Oh my god, they just blew up that house we crashed in last night!" Gert said, shoving a discarded newspaper towards their faces.

Nico grabs the paper and reads through it furiously, Karolina, Chase and Molly crowding him. Alex stands a few inches away, watching them through his glasses and glancing at his watch.

"Man, they're  _everywhere_ ," Chase says.

"There's no escaping them,"Gert agrees.

"Our parents are literally the most evil people in the world," Chase says.

"Uh...Loki, Ultron and some of those big bads The Avengers have fought beg to differ," Molly comments.

"That's the thing,guys," Chase says. "There are our  _parents_. They've got their whole lived to perfect being evil. And what? We're a bunch of hormonal, inexperienced, rich, spoiled teenagers who can barely keep it together. How do we expect to defeat them?"

"Yeah, there aren't exactly any manual on how to be superheroes," Molly says.

"Will you please stop with the superhero thingie Mol, we are  _not_  superheroes," Gert snaps at her.

"We're a bunch of spoiled teenagers with superpowers trying to stop evil villains from their evildoing, so I think we  _are_  superheroes," Molly insists stubbornly.

"We aren't superheroes, yeah,"Nico concedes. "And maybe we  _are_  a bunch of rich teen losers who by some miracle happen to now have superpowers. But if there's one thing our parents have always done to us, it's that they've always underestimated us. We're young, hormonal teenagers, yes, but we're also something our parents are not..."

" _Not_  old and wrinkly?"Molly volunteers.

" _Unpredictable_ , genius," Nico says, rolling her eyes.

"Oh."

Nico grins. "And that's going to work well in our favor."

* * *

Jonah stands infront of the massive device hovering above the deep hole it has excavated.

Leslie Dean comes up to him and watches him, then the device above before she clears her throat and says, "Are you sure about this?"

Jonah doesn't speak for a while as the machine whirrs above him. He is pleased that even though those pesky little teenage humans have tampered with his device, his  _plans_ , everything is still going as planned.

Finally he nods.

"The others are on their way,"Leslie says.

Jonah nods. "Good. It's time."

Nothing can stop him now.  _Nothing_. And this worthless little garbage hellhole they call Earth will finally know his name.

* * *

Karolina, Nico and the others are racing through the streets of L.A., a stolen car that Chase had hot-wired for them, to Gert's very loud, "Oh my god, the felonies just keep piling up don't they?!"

To which Nico only smirks and says, "Relax, we're minors,worst case scenario we'll do some time in juvy. We don't have priors, so..."

Gert just stares at Nico. "And you know this because...?"

"Dude, we're rich, spoiled brats from Brentwood, duh," Nico says with a smirk.

But Gert is no longer listening to her as she leans out of the car window. "Oh my god," she mutters. "We're back."

Before them is the construction site where Jonah and their parents are supposedly building a school.

"I still think this is a bad idea,guys,"Chase mutters. "We're supposed to be running away from the trouble not running towards it."

"Oh,c'mon, super jock, you know you want to give Jonah a piece of your mind," Molly says with a wink.

"I hate that guy," Chase says. "But really, guys, I have a bad, bad,  _bad_  feeling about this. Like super bad. Like run in the opposite direction bad."

"I don't think that pow-wow brainstorming practice whatever we had is gonna work either,"Molly says.

"Well, I still don't know how to work this staff and I think I can't say the same word twice, but here we are," Nico says. "Chase, do your worst..."

Chase nods as he puts his gloves on. "Alright, time to rock and..."

He aims his gloves at the fence, and with all his might shoots bolts of power at the fence. Everyone puts their hands to their faces as the fence sparks, sizzles and explodes, hitting Chase on the chest and sending him careening through the air, slamming against a wall then the pavement, landing on the ground unconscious.

"Chase!" Gert shouts.

She rushes toward him, Old Lace following behind. She leans on his chest. "He's not breathing!"

Everyone rushes towards them.

"Chase? Chase?" Gert nudges him. "Wake up. Please. We can't do this without you."

"Gert, we don't have much time," Alex says. "Can you stay with him? We're going in..."

"Alex!" Nico chides him.

"What is wrong with you? We're missing a member here,"Gert says. "Without Alex we won't stand a chance..."

Just then, Alex comes to and groans. "Ugh, my head..."

"Chase!" Gert says, relieved. "For a second there, I thought we lost you."

Chase grins. "It's gonna take a lot more than electrocution and an evil murderous cult of parents to take me down."

"That's my guy," Gert says as she tries to help Chase get up.

When he tries to get up, Chase groans in pain. "Ugh, on second thought, maybe I should take a minute to catch my breath..."

Gert nods as Chase lies down, holding his side. "Go on without me," he huffs. "I'll catch up."

"You sure?" Gert asks, unsure.

"Yup," he says. "Be careful."

As they make their way into the fence and the construction site, Nico stops, sensing the unusual silence.

"Something's wrong,"Nico says.

Old Lace growls in agreement.

"Chase was right," Molly says. "Bad feeling. We're all gonna die..."

"Yeah, this just seems to be too gols to be true,"Karolina comments.

"That's because it is,"Ger says, grimly, indicating the middle of the construction site, where the device.

In the middle of the site, Jonah stands, back turned, hands behind him.

"Oh my god, what were we even thinking?" Gert whispers. "We're in way over our heads..."

Jonah turns around then. "Ah, finally, nice of you all to join us." He smiles a cold, evil smile. "We've been waiting for you..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"In what universe did we ever think we could defeat Jonah?" Gert asks as their parents come out and surround Jonah.

Jonah doesn't speak at first.

"Jonah..." Leslie Dean begins.

"Silence!" Jonah roars, his voice echoing the empty site but for them.

Everyone jumps in surprise and fear.

One of the things Jonah despises about humans is their irritating endless need to explain, to just fucking  _talk_  all the time. Talk about their lives. Their feelings. Their dreams. Everything and anything under the sun. It has always irritated him.

More than that, anything and everything about humanity disgusts him. Their nature. Their capacity to love and hate and betray. He has lived long enough to see much of what humanity has to offer. He has seen humans kill each other over something as stupid as money - worthless piece of paper that symbolizes other worthless things. He doesn't care for it one bit.

This was why it was easy for him to create and control the Pride. Humans have more weaknesses than strengths: Unnecessary emotional attachments, to each other - lovers, husbands, wives, parents, children, even the household help and the neighborhood bum or resident bag lady. Attachments that he, as an alien, does not understand, especially since he's read and heard and seen so many of these same people hurt and betray each other in the worst of ways. But attachments he can exploit to his advantage. Humans are prone to fear, anxiety, suggestion, manipulation, tell them you will kill their offspring in the mosy creative, most bloody of ways and you have them at the palm of your hands. And these humans have an inexplicable need to believe in almost fucking anything: Santa Claus. The fucking Tooth Fairy. Gods. Spirits. Saints. And the most insufferable of the lot is how they have organized their superstitious beliefs into a fucking organized religion. Fucking ignorant little shits from an outback planet. He despises their church services. Their stupid choirs. Their singing. Their testimonies. Their fucking hypocrisy - testifying to their congregation how blessed they are and then immediately after the church service, indulging in the seven deadly sins: Greed, pride,lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth. He hates all humanity with a hatred he only reserves for Skrulls. He especially despises the Church of Gibborum though it works in his favor that humans believe and are afraid of their superstitious beliefs. Majesdane is a bit more evolved. What did you need money for when you can have something more: Power. Unlimited power. True power that humans can only ever dream of. True power that inspires unspeakable terror. And worship. And awe. Too bad the Skrulls had to destroy everything. No matter. Earth is his new home now. He will drill that hole, unleash those monsters, wreak havoc on earth, destroy humanity. Afterall, these humans are nothing more than primitive barbarians. An abomination. He regrets that his offspring is only half Majesdane. The human part of her is already her weakest link. The part that loves and hates and cares for these part that he cannot trust. But he can teach her. In time she will learn. And she will take her place by his side and rule this will start by destroying the Church of Gibborum first. And out of the ashes - will stand him and the members of the Pride, or whatever is left of the Pride. He will re-make this world in the image of Majesdane and out of its ashes will rise the new Majesdane.

Jonah watches the children and their parents as if it were a drama unfolding in a theater of the absurd. Disgust, revulsion overcomes him.

He has never been one for talking. He leaves that to the primitives. Amateurs. Talk is cheap, of course. Majesdanians were never ones for talking.

He turns to the parents thus and says, "I'll cut to the chase. Which of your offspring would you like to die first?"

There is a silence that greets this question, then the human parents erupt in confusion, protests, anger and fear.

"What?!"

"This isn't necessary, Jonah..."

"Jonah, please, they're only  _children_..."

"You can't do this!"

"These are our kids!"

"Dammit, Jonah, this isn't what we agreed to!"

"If you hurt Alex, I swear to god, I'm gonna..."

Without warning, Jonah sudden glows and shoots at Alex with his lights.

Everyone either gasps or shouts as Jonah's light Alex tumbles back, slams against the pavement.

Humans, he thought. Indecisive. But also wonderfully expendable.

"What the hell, Jonah?!" Geoffrey Wilder screams as he takes out his gun and aims it at Jonah.

Jonah wordlessly hits Geoffrey Wilder

At the same time, Alex gets up, reaches for the gun in his back pocket and with trembling fingers aims it at Jonah, and pulls the trigger.

"I...guess that's our cue," Nico says uncertainly as she puts her staff infront of her and shouts, "Fire!" and the staff emits bolts of lightning straight at Jonah.

Karolina starts to glow and shoots at Jonah with her fingertips.

"Go get 'im O.L.," Gert whispers to her dinosaur.

Molly lifts a massive steel beam and heaves it towards Jonah.

The Pride takes a few steps back to protect themselves.

Alex's bullet misses shoots at the dinosaur, deflects Nico's staff, which Tina Dinoru easily retrieves. He shoots at Molly. He hits at Karolina back and laughs. Puny humans. In what universe did they really think they can win this?

When the initial fighting stops, Old Lace and Molly lay sprawled to one side, Karolina on her hands and knees, panting, Nico stands defenseless, and Alex is on his knees, gun still in his trembling hand.

Nico looks at everyone and with growing despair realizes they are going to lose and lose spectacularly.

"What are we doing?" Gert asks. "We need to retreat..." She tells the others.

As the other youngsters stand there, unsure of what to do, Jonah speaks.

"Thank you for bringing them here,"Jonah says, as if to no one in particular.

As the Pride and the kids look at each other,Jonah turns to Alex and smiles.

"It will make my job easier," he continues.

Everyone turns to Alex, shocked and surprised.

"Alex?" All the teenagers ask,confused.

Alex grins and stands up, suddenly utterly confident. He looks at Jonah then and a satisfied smile spreads slowly on his face.

"My pleasure."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Nico looks at Alex who has now taken his place at Jonah's side.

"Alex, what are you doing?" Nico asks, the fear apparent in her voice.

Alex doesn't say anything.

"The right thing," Jonah answers with an evil smile on his face.

"You betrayed us," Gert accuses him.

"You fucking sold us out,you little shit," Nico spits out, fear quickly turning to anger.

"How could you?"Molly says, feeling hurt and betrayed.

Alex just looks at them, before he looks straight at Nico and says, "He said he would spare my parents, me...and you."

"You fucking bastard!"Nico screams as she attacks him.

But Jonah is faster, his hand shooting out light as he engulfs her in light, lifts her up and immobilizes her.

His other hand shoots out light gathers the other youngsters, lifts them up and immobilizes them, too.

"You wouldn't understand," Alex says sadly, as he looks up at Nico suspended in the middle of the air. "I did it all for you. I love you."

Nico is never one for sentiment, or nostalgia and until Alex and Karolina never cared for emotions as pedestrian as love or even hate. This nihilistic view kept her safe. Call it survival instinct. Nothing mattered. Everything was shit. Then Pride happened and she just had to be fucking involved and  _fuck_.

She looks at the others trapped in Jonah's power as much as she is.

She hears Gert ask Alex something.

"Why?" Gert asks, voice muffled by the energy field.

"Why?" Alex repeats. "Because the world is going to end anyway. And for once I wanted to be on the winning side. I mean, c'mon, we couldn't defeat Jonah then, we won't be able to defeat him now. Might as well give up now and live to see another day."

"You fucking bastard!" Nico's muffled scream comes out of the bubble.

"Uh-uh-uh,"Alex tuts her, shaking a finger at Nico. "Language, Nico. You always did have a dirty mouth on you."

Nico tries to move her hand to bang at the force field, but her arms can't move. 

"But how...?" Gert asks. 

Alex laughs now. "You didn't actually think I wanted us all to get together and re-unite for some stupid reason like nostalgia, did you? "

Gert looks at him, disappointed and betrayed.

"I thought we were friends."

Alex rolls his eyes. "Friend is pushing it too far."

He walks up to all of them. "C'mon, you guys didn't  _actually_  think we were all friends, right?" He laughs. He looks at each one as he speaks their name. "I mean, c'mon, we can't stand each other. Gert, you hate Karolina's guts, 'cause she's beautiful and unlike you, she actually has power. And powerful parents. You get what? Dorky parents. And the ability to talk to animals. I can't even say that with a straight face. And what's up with your stupid purple hair? Are you really determined to die a virgin? And what do they call you exactly? Dinogirl? And Chase? He doesn't like everybody else because they're all smarter than he is. The only reason he likes Gert is because she's easy and he can get laid. I mean,fuck, he thought semantics meant hating Jews. How dumb can you get? And Molly, you hate everybody 'cause they don't take you seriously and they don't listen to you, do they?" He looks at Karolina. "Not sure about you Karolina. You just follow Nico wherever she goes, don't you? I don't think you can actually think for yourself. First your parents. Then your church. Then Nico. And Nico...Nico,Nico,Nico...you don't just hate everybody. You hate yourself. You can't stand yourself. How else can you explain making yourself look the way you do. And d'you honestly think you and Karolina are gonna last? I give you a month. Even less. Before you start wanting to strangle each other. You guys are too extreme. This is just a phase, Nico."

Nico looks at Karolina. "Karie...don't listen to him..."

Karolina has closed her eyes, the hurt apparent on her face."

Alex continues, " See...the thing is, nobody understands you the way I do. Nobody gets you the way I do. Nobody, not even Karolina can make you happy the way I do. You don't belong to them. You belong with me. You belong  _to_  me."

Suddenly, before anybody could speak, a blast of energy hits Jonah from behind, sending Jonah tumbling forward, right smack face down on the pavement and sending the teenagers falling to the pavement with screams and groans. Another blast of energy hits Alex from behind and sends him hurtling and slamming on the pavement face down next to Jonah.

The kids previously captured by Jonah in his power, get up, dust themselves, and check that everyone else is okay.

As chaos clears, the kids see Chase and a man in a red iron suit.

"Is that..." Karolina begins.

"Ironman?" Gert completes the question for her.

"God, I hate that guy,"Chase says, indicating Alex. "So much exposition."

"I hate it when the villain talks too much, too. It's like, is this Game of Thrones or what? And oh my god, so much drama. It's like an episode of The O. C. mixed in with Beverly Hills 90210 and Gossip Girl for good measure." When the kids all stare at him, he shrugs and says, "What? Or is it 13 Reasons Why? I forget. Gotta keep up with the youngsters." He shrugs. "Millenials, am I right?" As they all stare at him, open-mouthed, he sighs and says, "Well, at least the tip was right. You get a lot of prank calls to Shield,"Tony Stark says. Then he commands, "Shield! Let's get this over with."

Suddenly, men and women in black ops gear, guns, infrared goggles and assorted gear appear on the walls, rappel down walls and building and trucks, as they land on the pavement, they whip their guns out and aim them at all the Pride members, Alex and Chase.

"Hands in the air!" The leader shouts. "Down on the ground. Now!"

All the parents obey but Jonah gets up, turns around and defiantly tries to hit Tony Stark with an energy blast. His whole body lights up and as he prepares to fire, his hands fizzle and the light from his body fade. As he wonders why he couldn't fire, he grabs one cuff and pulls it up to reveal the scabby, diseased skin within. In a second, one of the Shield agents taser him. He falls down on the pavement, unconscious.

"Just as I thought. Solar powered guy has run out of juice. All that light show must have drained him. Show off," Iron Man says as the Shield Operatives close in and cuff him and the other members of Pride.

As the Shield ops approach Alex, Alex dives for the gun just a few inches away from him, grabs it and aims it at Nico and Karolina.

"Sir, put the gun down," one of the men order him.

Alex is silent for a few moments, hands gripping the gun tightly. "I  _loved_  you, Nico," he says, tears forming in his eyes.

"Sir, I'm warning you..."

"We could have been good together," Alex continues, ignoring the man. "Hell, we could have  _ruled_  together..."

"Sir..."

As he slowly squeezes the trigger, a shot rings out, screams pierce the air and he drops to the ground, writhing in pain and groaning as he clutches his bleeding left leg. With his right arm still clutching the gun, he tries to shoot at Nico again, but the man shoots him in the arm, then shoots gun away from him and Alex collapses on the ground, crying.

As they lead Alex away, with a medic in tow, Nico and Karolina look away, unable to look at each other.

"You'll never get away with this!" One of the Pride shouts.

Tony Stark rolls his eyes. "Sure, sure."

One agent comes up to Iron Man then and says, "All rounded up and accounted for, sir. What do you want to do with the kids?"

He stares at all of them. "These are trust fund babies. Let's see what Shield, the great State of California and the United States Government want to do with you."

As they look at him and at each other, he continues.

"C'mon, you guys. You are freaky assed kids with superpowers. That's gonna come in handy some day but you gotta stay on the down low for now. A war's coming and we need all the superpowered soldiers we can get. One day we might need you to protect and defend the West Coast...and probably the East Coast."

Iron Man still hasn't removed his mask but they can sense him smiling beneath it.

"Be glad it isn't Steve you're talking to. He'd probably do the right thing and put you in foster homes, the dick," he continues. Inside his suit, Tony Stark is grinning. He turns to Nico and Karolina, now standing apart from each other. "Lesbians..."

"We're not..." Nico and Karolina start to speak but Tony interrupts them.

"Whatever. I don't care. You have each other. D'you know how hard it is to find someone who can put up with your shit out." He turns to Gert and Chase. "Same goes for you, too. Although that being said, you're young, it's high school, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you meet other people, too. Just...don't forget to be safe." The kids make a face when he says this." If at the end of all that, you guys still like each other, then I say go for it." He turns Molly and Old Lace. "You too, I guess stay cool?"

As he powers up to leave the area, he tells them all, "In the meantime, stick together, stay out of trouble and stay in school."

"I'll be in touch," he informs them as he flies out of there, leaving the kids speechless and surprised.

Molly looks at all of them and asks,"So...what now?"

Nico shrugs. "I guess, do what he says."

In a few seconds a woman in a suit appears and addresses all of them.

"Hello, Mr. Stein, Ms. Dean, Ms. Minoru, Ms. Hernandez and Ms. Hayes, I'm your case worker..."

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

All members of the Pride are indicted and convicted for crimes ranging from corruption, racketeering, money laundering, trafficking, kidnapping and murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility for parole for their crimes.

Given the manifested abilities of the youngsters, the wealth and influence of their families, the crimes committed by their parents, and the fact that they are all still minors, they are appointed legal guardians by the State, but unofficially they are closely monitored by Tony Stark and Shield.

Jonah is also incarcerated by Shield.

Alex, for his part in Jonah and the Pride's schemes, is also incarcerated. He tries to commit suicide more than once and has the police and agents on suicide watch.

The children are all required to finish school, go to college and stay out of trouble.

Chase is sent to military school, while Gert and Molly are sent back to separate schools, each unaware of the other's location - Tony Stark and Shield believed it best that they be kept separate from each other as they are deemed unpredictable and dangerous due to their powers.

The friends all agree to stay away from each other until they are all of age and allowed to make their own decisions.

Nico gets her GED and studies at a community college to the great chagrin of the still incarcerated Tina Minoru.

Karolina Dean also gets her GED and goes on to state university, still unsure what to major in but decides to fully immerse herself in the college experience.

But this means staying in a dorm, having a roommate, putting up with said roommate, curfews, irate professors, classes and so on so that one day Karolina ends up calling Nico in the middle of the night.

"Hey,"Nico says, groggy, sleepy, not quite registering the call. "Karie? It's 2 AM...Why are you calling?"

Karolina fidgets with her bedsheet. "Hey," she says softly, realizing then how much she's missed Nico.

"Um, yeah, I'm sorry, but we agreed we'd give each other some space yes?"

"I'm sorry," Karolina says miserably. "I just...It's my first time away from Brentwood and I just...miss you guys...I miss you..."she says softly, tears threatening to fall.

Nico's voice softens. "Hey, hey. Don't feel bad. What are you doing? Thinking of me?"

Karolina sighs. "Nico..."

"Yeah, I know...I know...we said let's take a break first...sorry...so what's up with you?"

"Nothing... I'm sorry this was a bad idea... This is a mistake."

"Hey, no, of course this isn't a bad idea..."Nico says. "And it's not a mistake. None of it is.  _We_  were not a mistake."

There's a silence on the other end.

Nico clears her throat. "So...how's school?"

"Cold. Lonely. Different," Karolina says.

"Hey, it can't be  _that_  bad," Nico adds quickly. "If you're really feeling terrible, I can come visit. Though not sure how Stark's gonna take that. I'm almost pretty sure he's surveilling us right now. I'm tempted to do something kinky like phone sex just to shake things up a bit..."

"Nic!"

Nico chuckles. "I'm kidding...I'm kidding..." She can already sense Karolina blushing on the other end of the line.

There's another silence before Karolina asks, "Have you visited them?"

Nico doesn't respond for a few seconds before she sighs. She knows exactly what Karolina is asking.

"No," Is her curt, brief answer.

"Do you ever think about them?"

Nico says," No, not really. Once in a while, maybe Thanksgiving or Christmas but then it's gone as quickly."

Karolina breathes out a sigh of relief. "Me, too," she admits. "As much as I love my mom and dad, they were evil and they tried to get you and me and the rest of our friends killed."

"Yeah," Nico agrees. "Okay, so hey, Thanksgiving is coming up, do you want me to come visit you? I'm not big on the whole turkey and mashed potates and gravy and all that shit but if you want some company..."

Karolina doesn't even let her finish. "Yes!"

And so Nico and Karolina start to talk to each other - over messenger, texts, Skype, phonecalls, keeping each other abreast of what the other is doing. Karolina talks to her about the classes she's taking, professors or classmates that annoy her, subjects that she has to figure out, all the other collegiate experiences she's had. Karolina has even tried to get a part- time job at a coffee shop.

"Kar, you have a  _trust fund_ ," Nico says.

"Yeah, but that's pretty much it. Everything else has been frozen by virtue of my parents' criminal activities," Karolina points out.

"Don't remind me," Nico says. "I'd like to complain but I'm not exactly homeless? I don't want to seem like the ungrateful spoiled trust fund kid who got off scot-free for being the fruit that fell a bit far off the tree."

"Yeah. Besides, I heard part-time jobs keep you grounded?" Karolina says. "It's nice to earn money I worked hard for."

"You say that now, babe, but wait til you get those irate customers..."

Karolina barely suppresses the sharp intake of breath as she feels her heart plummet to the bottom of her stomach. Said so casually, Nico's casual term of endearment had never failed to take her breath away. She swallows though, trying to control herself. The counselor had wisely pointed out that the trauma and stress of having found out your parents are evil, coupled with having to handle the ensuing violence and eventual falling out, the loneliness and isolation, may have contributed to her having feelings for Nico. Karolina needs to sort out whether she cares for Nico because she needs her or if she needs her because she cares for her. Either way, taking a step back to figure out her feelings about her family and Nico would go a long way in ensuring that if they ever do get together again, their relationship would stand a chance.

"Hey, you okay?" Nico says, hearing Karolina sigh.

"I...yes, I am."

"Okay."An awkward pause between them. Then Nico ventures. "Awfully quiet there. Your roommate in?"

Karolina shakes her head then realizes Nico can't see her. "No, no. She's at some party...or other. One of those frat party things the college kids are always raving about..."

"And you're not one of those college kids?"Nico asks.

Karolina laughs a bit. "Oh, god, no."

"What? Why? Is it residual Church of Gibborum you-think-you'll-burn-in-hell kind of thing?"

Karolina laughs, a bit too nervously and self-consciously. "Uh," she says, debating whether to say it or not. "It's more...a drinking and date rape drugs and date rape thing..."

This takes Nico aback. "Oh...okay...that's so random," she says, uncertainly. "Although, yeah you've gotta point. I mean they'll think twice before they come onto me because I look like anyone's worst nightmare but you...you're all sunshine and rainbows and gorgeousness and perfection, so yeah..."

Karolina shakes her head again, and says, "Um, no. It's more like...a bad, traumatic experience back when we were still in high school..."

"Huh? What?"

So Karolina takes a deep breath and tells her about that first time she's decided to rebel against her strict religious upbringing and go to a party, the same party where she realized in the same night that not only was she gay and that she actually literally glowed. The same party in which she had been given a drink laced with some date rape drug - the same drug that caused her to pass out and have two lacrosse jocks pick her up and take her to a room. They'd probably would have had their way, too, had Chase Stein not showed up and beat them up. As Karolina describes how she found out, and how much fallout occurred because of it, with even Chase losing his spot in lacrosse for just defending her, Karolina realizes how angry she still is for how two teenaged boys could think that sexually assaulting an unconscious young woman would be okay. Karolina'd seen the triumphant, knowing leers from the lacrosse team, the contempt from some of the other high school kids, particularly the cheerleading squad, the way the school seemed to just ignore it, thus being complicit in the boys' criminal behavior, the gossip... Had they not had the Pride and Jonah to contend with, Karolina would have had the time to process how violated and betrayed she'd felt at the time, so much so that after the last confrontation with Pride and Jonah, she'd opted to take her GED rather than just go back to school. She hadn't noticed how she'd recoiled just before she and Nico would actually get more intimate or how anxious she'd feel or how she'd sometimes have nightmares. And funnily, she'd started being obscurely anxious and averse of parties and sometimes, random men who'd just innocently touch her, with no intention of assaulting her. It took her some time to have the courage to talk to a counselor before she'd realized what had happened. Nico didn't understand why Karolina wanted space and time apart from each other, and Karolina could not explain clearly all her swirking thoughts and feelings - but the counselor had gently suggested that in order for her to be able to freely love Nico she'd have to heal herself first, forgive herself for what happened. It took a lot of sessions and a lot of boxes of tissues before she'd come to terms with it. The counselor had quietly told her, "You don't have to forgive them. But you do have to forgive yourself and accept it." That took some time to process. What she couldn't understand was even though she had all this power, why does she still feel like this? It took her time to realize that it was the experience itself has had a lasting impact on her - that it made her feel powerless and helpless and angry. After a time, the counselor had surprised her with a baseball bat and a punching bag. For the better part of an hour all Karolina did was hit the punching bag repeatedly until her arms hurt and she's left on the floor crying, counselor comforting her and telling her over and over, "It wasn't your fault. None of it is." She knows she'll take some time to really accept it, but having talked it out means maybe she'll be okay and that it will get better soon. They'd talked about a lot of things since then - her life within the Church of Gibborum, Pride and Jonah, her relationships with her parents, her friendship with the rest of the Pride progeny, and finally her sexuality and her feelings for Nico. The counselor had helped guide her into examining her identity, coming to a place where she could be more comfortable with her sexuality and her feelings for Nico. But because she'd just recently come out, the same counselor had also gently encouraged her to date, meet other young women, explore her sexuality more. So she'd tried to date a couple of times, but nothing came out of it.

She misses Brentwood, and she misses her friends but most of all, she misses her parents and oddly enough, even the church itself. She'd been born into the church, effectively institutionalized since birth, or even before then, and to find out that not only was the church a sham, but that her parents were criminals, her whole life was a lie, she was gay and an alien - had been too much for her. But as the counselling sessions progressed, she'd found herself visiting a church - one of those standard Christian Baptist ones and she had sat at one of the pews, staring at the walls, the stage, enjoying the silence and peace afforded her. She inhaled the slightly bleached, slightly oakwood, slightly varnished smell and she felt comforted. It smelled right. It felt right.

She had thought then that it was going to be okay. She'd remembered thinking maybe someday she could finally visit her mother in jail - but she doesn't think she's ready, maybe she never will be, but maybe one day, some day, she could write her a letter.

She doesn't say all of these to Nico, though. Karolina is never one for lengthy explanations. She tells Nico what happened at the party, what she had felt and how she'd dealt with it because she feels Nico needs to understand a bit about what happened and how it impacted her and their relationship.

Nico is quiet the whole time, rarely interrupting, just listening to this girl - and feeling her heart go out to her, wanting to suddenly appear in front of her and hold her and make the pain go away...

Which is exactly what happens later: Nico finding herself in front of Karolina's dorm, startled and clutching the staff for dear life.

"What the...?" she begins to ask, disoriented and confused.

Nico then looks up and around and notices lawn, buildings around her, street lamps, street, students. She sees a building in front of her, sees one lone window with the light still on on the first floor - window open and pink curtains billowing in the wind.

She takes a deep breath and walks up to the window.

Karolina Dean is staring at her phone, wondering why the line on the other end had suddenly gone dead.

But then there's a thump and a thud and she turns and there's Nico, sprawled in a heap on the floor just below her open window, staff in hand, groaning.

She drops her phone, and in an exasperated tone, whispers, "Nico, how'd you even get here...?!"

"Uh...I don't exactly know...?!" Nico responds, equally puzzled. "One minute I was talking to you, the next minute I'm... _here_..." There's a silence that stretches between them as both stare at each other in confusion. "Or I  _do_  know...but I didn't actually think it could happen..."

"Did you kind of just...literally appear out of nowhere with that wand?"

"Um...no...not exactly. More like...I was looking at it and I said something and I  _flew_  here..."

"How is that even possible?"

"I...well, I don't know..." The silence stretches out between them. "But I'm here now so..." And then an awkward pause, before she suddenly realizes where she is, and who she's standing in front of and how she hasn't really seen her in awhile and then she suddenly feels shy and blushes. She hadn't thought it entirely possible but Karolina seems to have grown even more beautiful, flowing, golden blond hair cascading down in waves on her shoulders and back, skin as smooth as porcelain, eyes still as blue as the ocean and a smile that could light up the room. Karolina looks positively delighted to see her.

Before she can say anything else, Karolina has crossed the room in a couple of strides and she is hugging her, holding her tightly, face buried on Nico's shoulder.

"You cut your hair..." Karolina mutters.

"Yeah..."

"You're not...wearing your goth thing..."

"Yeah..." Nico says, embarrased.

"You look  _amazing_..."

"Errr...thanks."

Karolina laughs and pulls back. "God, I've missed you," she says, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Nico's ear.

Nico laughs sheepishly. "I've missed you, too."

Karolina grins.  
Nico smiles back. Karolina's grins will really be the death of her.

"Also there's a perfectly serviceable door right over there," she points to her bedroom door.

"Yeah, I know," Nico responds. "But it's..." She glances at her watch, grimaces, "Early morning and I couldn't exactly just knock. Plus it's more fun this way. And it wasn't my fault. It was the staff…"

Karolina rolls her eyes.

They spend the rest of the night and early morning talking, whispering, laughing, just catching up with each other. Dawn finds them asleep in each other's arms, not quite lovers but never really just friends, either.


End file.
